Runic Inscriptions 249 



Brussels inscription, then, indicates that The Dream of the Rood 

 was drawn upon in the 11th or 12th century for epigraphic purposes, 

 and therefore tends to confirm any independent presumption that 

 the Ruthwell Cross inscription is to be assigned to a late period, or 

 at least does nothing to invalidate such a presumption. 



With reference to the runic inscriptions on the Bewcastle Cross 

 which can be read with any certainty, these are limited by Victor ^ 

 to Cynihurug and {Ge)ssu{s), on the north face; Gessus Cristtus 

 IKristtus], on the west above the figure of Christ; with HwcBtr{e)d 

 (1. 2) . . . gar (1. 4), Alcfripu (11. 5—6, very probably), cyning (1. 6), 

 and Osw[iu]ng (1. 7, very probably), in the main inscription. Of 

 cBJt Al he says (p. 15) : ' Alle beschadigt, aber, wie ich glaube, 

 vorhanden,' so that he would also read cBJt. 



I will limit my examination here to two words, the name Gessus 

 Kristtus and the preposition ceft, reserving a consideration ol Alcfripu 

 for a later place. 



Gessus Kristtus. 



Above the figure of Christ on the west face of the Bewcastle Cross 

 are the runic letters spelling j-Gessu[s] Kristtus.^ The only perfect 

 parallels to this with which I am acquainted are to be found on the 

 censers from Hesselager and Kullerup, in Denmark. The former 

 reads in runes, Gesus Krist, and the latter, t Gesus Krt. The former, 

 and perhaps the latter, was made by one Jacob the Red. The 

 spelling Gesus, according to the highest authority on the subject, 

 Professor Wimmer, was a customary spelling at this period, the latest 

 years of the 13th century. 



Gesus er en almindelig skrivenmade pa denne tid ved siden af iesus.' 

 Sprog og runeformen viser at de ma henferes til sidste halvdel af det 

 13 arh., naermest det's slutning.* 



The only English parallel to this use of g for ; which I know of 

 is on the Hawkswell Cross, where the inscription reads : 



HAEC EST CRUX SCI 3ACOBI5 

 This must, of course, be comparatively late, unless the 3 be I, as 

 one copyist read it.® 



^ Die North. Runensteine, p. 16. ^ See p. 25. 



^ Wimmer 4^ 115. 



* Wimmer 4^ 136-7. 



^ Cf. Allen, Mon. Hist. Brit. Church, pp. 129, 218; Browne, Conv. of 

 Heft., pp. 215-6. 



* See Browne, Conv. of Hepf., p. 217. 



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